Tree Treasure

Last winter I found a black and soaked branch collar (takkraag) in the woods.

After letting it dry slowly, to prevent cracks, it's on the wall now.

I just love it. To surround yourself with beauty can be easy.

It doesn't have to be expensive or 'arty-farty' at all.

Vitrine

I kept thinking about a DIY show case for my beach finds and

for weeks I've been looking for a glass cover for the ceramic tray with beach finds.

Today I found a glass tray... but it didn't fit over the ceramic base.

Then I tried this wooden top of a ceramic tray as a base. Perfect fit!

Underneath here you can see why I need such a heavy glass protection (smile)...

Beach Find

I was so trilled with this find!

I completely forgot to photograph it while it was still laying on the beach (smile)

In the past we found some small (fossil) vertebras,

but never such a big one like this (10,5 x 6,5 x 1,2 cm)

with an intervertebral disk on top.

It probably belonged to a fish, dolphin or seal...

Update: I found some similar examples of harbour porpoise

(in Dutch: bruinvis) vertebrae on the internet.

Old School

I wish you a Happy Hootenanny on New Years Eve!!!

Truck

This old C.I.B. truck is one of my latest finds at the flea market.

New Find

I found this small bowl in a local thrift shop for 50 cents :)

Wise?

I bought this little owl at a thrift shop for a friend of mine.

 She has a weak spot for owls. I hope she likes it.
She can have it and in return I would like a comment on this post ;)

Finds

I love searching the beach for treasures of nature.

We found some lovely sea shells, urchins, bones and vertebras in De Panne!

Still Life

Precious Possessions

My most precious possessions.......

These things are all over the house to remind me what's really important in life.

Family, friends, pets, nature and my "worthless" finds :-)

Egg

We found this egg in spring.
Don't worry, it was just lying on the ground.
The detail is just beautiful.

 I find it real difficult to identify this egg.

 Perhaps it's a cuckoo egg.........
Cuckoo birds are actually able to mimic eggs of other birds so they are cared for.
When you might have a different idea, please let me know.

Beach findings

 Here you can see some of our beachfindings.

 I was really lucky to find 4 fossil spine bones.

These porcelain plates are made by Piet Stockmans.

He is a famous Belgian ceramist.

I admire his work!

Cabinet

 This is our old cabinet with some beach findings.

Originally it is an old shop counter display cabinet.

It was placed horizontally so that's why the glass has been scratched.

Now and then the content changes.

Right now you can see.........

Some dogfish (shark) eggs.

Some egg capsules from rays.

I remember finding these on the beach, being a lot bigger (almost twice as big) when they were still wet.

 They are regularly found on the beach. Almost all ray species in the Noth Sea lay eggs, attaching them to stones, wrecks or seaweed. One can identify which ray species they belong to by the color and shape of the pouch and the length of the spines.

 This incredible construction is a solitary wasp nest.

It was build in a bird's nestbox.

And some of my lovely houses ;-)

Whale Burp

This is a wonderful beach find! I love it!!!
It's a so called Whale Burp.

A bramble of beach grasses, twigs and seaweed tossed and rolled together close to shore during storms.
I have to handle it with care because it's very fragile.